Mets fixating on Luis Robert Jr. as center field deadline acquisition

Will it be Luis Robert Jr. or bust for the New York Mets at the trade deadline?

Jul 28, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr. (88) walks back to the dugout during the first inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Rate Field. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

As the New York Mets continue their West Coast trip, the front office will be getting ready for what should be a busy trade deadline.

The National League has lived up to the hype this season of being very challenging, and despite the Mets performing well, they are in a tight race with the Philadelphia Phillies for first place in their division. As such, they need to shore up some of their weaknesses to get the upper hand.

Adding a front-end starter might be a bit more of a want than a need for the Mets, especially considering the unit has done well overall. In the bullpen, they were recently able to address a need there with the addition of Gregory Soto from the Baltimore Orioles.

Read More: New York Mets could target former All-Star closer to bolster bullpen

Furthermore, while the lineup has been good, one position that has been a bit of an issue is in center field. Jeff McNeil has been playing out of position and in the outfield quite a bit of late, and adding an everyday outfielder to allow him to move back to second would be ideal.

Anthony DiComo of MLB.com recently wrote about the center field situation for the Mets being somewhat limited, with Luis Robert Jr. of the Chicago White Sox looking like their best option.

“Center field looks like it could be Robert or bust,” DiComo wrote.

Examining some potential big-splash deadline targets in today's Mets newsletter:https://t.co/dM0A4zNtQG

— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) July 29, 2025

Robert has been a highly talked-about name for the potential contenders seeking help in the outfield. Due to the White Sox struggling, trading the former All-Star is certainly possible at the deadline, but it is hard to figure out his value.

After a breakout campaign in 2023, Robert Jr. struggled in 2024 and his numbers this year have been bogged down by a very poor start. So far in 2025, he's slashing .206/.295/.348 with 11 home runs, 43 RBI, and 26 stolen bases. The ability to play strong defensively and be a weapon running the bases certainly has value, but an on-base percentage of less than .300 is far from ideal.

However, the 27-year-old has been on a tear since the All-Star break. In his first eight games after the break, Robert Jr. has 10 hits in his last 28 at-bats (.357) with two home runs, eight RBI, four stolen bases, and an impressive 11 runs scored. Additionally, his struggles could be related to having a poor team around him, so perhaps a change of scenery and joining a contender like the Mets would be able to help him turn things around.

Luis Robert Jr. in seven games since All-Star break:

9-25 AB (.360 AVG)
1.067 OPS
2 HR
8 RBI
10 R
4 SB pic.twitter.com/T39HFZqPWv

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) July 29, 2025

With some of the options like Harrison Bader and Cedric Mullins having flaws in terms of asking price and performance, it very well might be Robert or bust for New York to upgrade in center field.